Gearboxes are omnipresent components in any industry. Gearbox uses often include speed reduction and power transmission. A gearbox can be a single-stage gearbox or a multi-stage gearbox. Further, a gearbox typically includes external gearing, internal gearing, and rack and pinion gearing.
One survey has found that gearbox failures account for thirty-four percent (34%) of all failure modes (e.g., fatigue) in aircraft. Another survey has revealed that gearbox failures account for fifteen percent (15%) of all failures in a specific industry. Gearbox failures typically result in lost revenues due to plant downtime since backup alternatives to units with failed gearboxes in these plants are often not available. Accordingly, detecting potential failures (e.g., faults) in a gearbox at the incipient stage can assist in preventing secondary damage, save maintenance costs, improve plant uptimes (e.g., machine availability), save potential financial losses from plant downtime, and assist towards increasing productivity.